Hi. I'm having my surgery in the beginning of July. I'd like to hear from Vegetarian Sleevers. Please let me know how you handle the nutritionists' push for protein. And how you manage your vegetarian diet post-surgery. (Can relate to any time after surgery) I've heard that rice is a no-no. What are your staples? Thanks.

Hi. I'm having my surgery in the beginning of July. I'd like to hear from Vegetarian Sleevers. Please let me know how you handle the nutritionists' push for Protein. And how you manage your vegetarian diet post-surgery. (Can relate to any time after surgery) I've heard that rice is a no-no. What are your staples? Thanks.

I am leaning toward a plant based diet and was sleeved on 4-10. Difficult right now but am researching recipes. Protein shakes and Greek yogurt and Soup are my staples right now. I also love hummus!

I will be two weeks out tomorrow so it hasn't been an issue yet. I am lacto ovo so I am planning on lots of eggs, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. I've been a vegetarian for two years but I do find myself really craving a McDonalds chicken sandwich!

My sleeve prefers vegetarian with occasional shellfish--but lacto is great. Pre surgery, I ate meat all the time. I am not a vegetarian now, either, but I definitely have only limited meat intake now, since Sleevie doesn't like it, nor fish, nor eggs. So I've focused mostly on dairy, Beans, and nuts as Protein sources, with occasional shrimp or crawfish and VERY occasional hamburger meat (we're talking a tablespoon max, and I don't remember when I had that last).

You may find that in order to get your protein, you'll have to stay on the shakes a bit longer until you can tolerate a bit more volume. Make sure that every time you eat, you include a vegetable or dairy or egg protein (if you're eating dairy and/or eggs). Eat the protein food first. Make your food choices count. You may find it beneficial to eat 5 or 6 small mini-meals a day; that's where I have ended up, and it works perfectly with both my small sleeve and the types of food it will accept. You can certainly eat healthfully without meat--I do it all the time--and if you choose to limit the other forms of animal food products, you can do that, too, but you definitely need to be mindful of getting the right choices in at every meal.

You asked about rice; my sleeve tolerates it, but I try to limit my intake, since it does seem to swell up in there and get a bit uncomfortable. You may want to do some online research on amino acids and get a list of all food sources so you can choose wisely. Best wishes to you!!

I am 5 mos post op- last month I did a 21 day vegan challenge and LOVED it and will NOT go back to eating chicken, beef or pork products. I choose to eat eggs and cheese for protein only because I am still getting the tast/hang of tofu. I have become pretty lactose intolerant so milk is out of the question- I have switched to coconut or rice milk. I have been getting my protein off of eggs, cheese, hummus and plant based items (Kale, Spinach etc). I have NEVER felt better, more satisifed and my tummy agrees with me every day- I had a hard time eating meat so it was a no brainer to try it. I do eat fish when we go out and that too is a good source of protein. PS in my 21 day challenge I managed to break a plateau and loose about 16 lbs... go figure...

Oh I eat a lot of beans, vegetable soup and have also tried rice- it is ok but fills me up too fast so I choose not to eat it.

I am grateful for the responses and wish you all well on your journey!

I also did the 21-day challenge. I liked it a lot. I also followed Dr. Esselstyn's way of eating scrupulously for a month and did very well - felt great and lost a lot of weight for one month. But the emotional bugaboos stepped in and undid it. I am hoping that I will be able to eat this way after surgery and for a lifetime.

There are loads of threads in the forum with ideas for a vegetarian diet! Hopefully a search will give you some good tips.

In the meantime, here is a list of my go to food items:

All cheeses (low fat), PB2 Peanut Butter powder, Wasa and Kavli crackers, Greek and regular yogurt (low fat), eggs, milk, veggie patties, tofu, lentils, Beans, and fruits or veggies in between.

Like MegInNOLA, I have several small meals, and eat my Protein first. Protein Bars and shakes do help a lot, as well. I don't cook much, so these foods are really fast and simple.

I have been a vegetarian for 6 years pre op and was sleeved 6-25-12 and a week out I would kill for meat. It's the weirdest thing. It used to gross me out I haven't had it in so long and now I feel like its one of the first things I want. Wish it wasn't the case but we will see I might just be desiring anything I can chew at this point even if it came from a helpless animal

I too am following the plant based way of eating. "Forks over Knives" and I feel wonderful. I was stuck in my weightloss for quite some time but when I started this new way of eating which was two weeks ago - I lost 9 pounds. I love the way it makes me feel and the reasoning behind plant based eating makes me feel like I am doing something really healthy for myself. I am sticking with it. Love the beans!